“from-zero-to-top producer”
Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate
2020 Aufricht Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature OCTOBER 2023 Disgorgement
– Micro Production
– Champagne Geeks Are Going to Go Crazy Over This Wine
– Brut Nature
– Remarkable Angularity and Precision
– Nose: A Study in Elegance and Precision
– Just so BDB
– Lemon Flower
– Fantastic Complexity
– Palate: Terrific Freshness and Acidity
– God’s Lemon Soda
– Lemon Zest
– Green Apple
– Insane Acidity
– Terrific Extract
– Some Fruit Skin (Green Apple)
– Amazing Saltiness –
– Laser-like Focus and Delineation
– Finish: Outrageous Complexity
– Nimble and Fine
– Outrageous Structure and Purity
– Ground Floor Pricing of $46.99 – This Will Be Over $100 at Some Point
“This is an out-of-the-blue, from-zero-to-top producer in an unsung region of Baden: Bodensee (Lake Constance). Just two wines are produced so far by Johannes Aufricht, who studied in Geisenheim and just returned to his parents’ domain. Weingut Aufricht has been the finest producer of this region for many years, but I have never tasted purer, finer and more breathtaking wines from this domain and, with all due respect, not even a percentage of this quality, which is doubtlessly world-class. Johannes cultivates the family’s vineyards and follows his own road, hoping his efforts will lead to his own domaine one day.” – Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate
German Sparkling Wines
This is the single most exceptional German sparkling wine I have ever had in my life and and it’s not close. German Sparkling Riesling has a relatively low ceiling when it comes to quality. Breuer and Lauer are the tops and while both can be very good there are oodles of Champagnes priced at the same level as those wines that are as good and better. Not to take away from those wines but again their sparklers are made from Riesling. There is also Sekthaus Raumland who is down the block from Keller and he was my previous benchmark as he used in addition to Riesling, the classic Champagne varietals to make some pretty impressive wines. I visited a few times and in fact sold many of his wines in my previous retail incarnations. None of this prepared me for the bottle of the 2020 Aufricht Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature (October 2023 Disgorgement) for $46.99 a bottle on a 4-pack.
The Back Story
This is German Selosse. Yes it’s that simple. I am stealing the “German Selosse” phrase from a German retailer that Lukas DM’ed me on Instagram who wanted to buy it all. Thank goodness he didn’t let him as then there would be no offer.
But let me rewind a bit. As many of you know I told a bit of story which I won’t repeat in this offer but I will fast forward to when I arrived at the estate and Lukas said we should start with some sparkling wine. Sven Enderle and I looked at each other and nothing needed to be said. It was the look of “Ok we will power through this Sekt to get to the Chardonnay and Pinot Nor.” The sparkler was not in any of my research and I just assumed very wrongly that it was another Sekt just made for the local market. A big dirty secret in Germany is that almost every estate in Germany makes Riesling Sekt and it’s not usually anything to write home about and barely any gets exported. It’s not bad it’s just more times than not mediocre. Yes there are exceptions that I mentioned before and we sell the Weltner Sekt which is a knockout. Also he isn’t exported but Immich-Anker in the Mosel specializes in Riesling Sekt that is excellent. That’s the Sekt story in Germany.
So we we were poured a glass of the 2020 Aufricht Blanc de Blancs and I sniffed and sipped and I had a moment. So I asked if this was actually from Germany and not Champagne. Lukas had a bit of a chuckle and said no. Lukas went to grab Johannes who was finishing something up and Sven and I looked at each other and mouthed to each other “Can you believe this is from Germany and how good it is?!” Yes the Germans can make profound wines from many different grapes. Syrah, Chardonnay and on and on but to make world class sparkling wine at a level that not only competes with Champagne but blows away so much Champagne was new to me and new to Sven. This was a new beautiful thing to exist in the world and I am honored and humbled to sell it. Yes, we now have German Selosse.
Tasting Notes
How did this wine smell and taste? Like heaven. But I will go into more detail. The nose was so fine and just so BDB and like a classic, high quality BDB. Lemon flowers and minerals abound. So clean, so clear and so defined. It’s so focused and precise. Smells like Selosse etc. I am not kidding. The dominant aromas are fine yeast, minerals, lemon and if you dig deep you can get some green apple skins. Minerals galore and so much more is my executive summary of the nose. A wine whose aromas keeps changing and changing. So clean and mesmerizing.
The mousse is so fine. Like my goodness how is this mousse (the bubbles) so fine. I mean, ultra fine.
On the palate it is so salty and precise with terrific freshness and acidity. Flavors of green apple, God’s lemon soda and insane acidity. Razors and lasers. So sappy and deep. There is terrific extract and some fruit skin (green apple) that lingers on the finish. The palate is sap city and just clings to your palate like nothing else. So juicy and elegant. This just slides down your palate and has laser-like focus and delineation. So elegant and with a super fine mousse and so dry on the backend but juicy and engaging.
The finish never lets on and never gives up. Outrageous complexity. So nimble and fine. This is as delicate a Champagne as I have had. Outrageous structure and purity. The brioche and breadiness extends on the palate. This is a masterpiece. And let me tell you about this finish. It is something. So long. So elegant and so refined. This tasted like some of the best addresses in Champagne. I was floored as I didn’t think it was possible. So salty, precise, refined and long.
Please call Cheryl at 949 378 5251 after emailing with your firstorder if you are a first time customer (we prefer not to receive credit card numbers over E-Mail).
OFFICE HOURS 4-7 PM
I love drinking and selecting wines – but my passion for teaching people about wine is almost as big. I’m happy to announce a block of time each day where people can call me just to chat about wine in general. These blocks are NOT intended to sell wine (I do that all day). This is to talk to me about wine pairings or great producers or how long to age wines or styles of wine making or the latest wine controversy. My goal is to help people learn more about wine and enjoy it more. Call me at 917-912-4355 from 4-7EST Monday – Friday.
2020 Aufricht Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature October 2023 Disgorgement- $48.99 ($187.96 4-Pack)
(VERY LIMITED/ALLOCATED)
This Offer is Not Available to Retailers, Wholesalers or Restaurants
Shipping will be charged when wine ships.
These will be shipped in the Spring of 2024
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